Kedrick Suwa's Estate

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

Dimitri continued to thrash and, as he feet caught in the sheets, he kicked more violently, another sob escaping his lips. He wanted to wake up, he really did, but he couldn't force himself to pull his mind up into a state of consciousness. Dimitri could felt Jared's hand sliding along his cheek and down to the back of his neck, pulling him forward, closer, and closer.

And suddenly, Dimitri was roused just enough to know that this wasn't Jared's hand. It was smaller, softer, and there was no malicious tension. A voice, a voice joined the sensation of the touch, calling his name. The boy's eyes opened, still blank with terror. He stared up at Maria, looking at her, but not seeing her, for Maria, it would be like looking into the eyes of a blind person. Dimitri was awake, his eyes where open, but he was still stuck in the nightmare in his mind.

He struggles slowed, and then ceased as she stroked his hair and face, singing the beautiful, haunting melody. He could feel her hand brushing gently across his cheeks, wiping the tears from his face. Vaguely, Dimitri wondered if this it what it would have been like if his mother had know. Would she have sung to him, and sat there with his head in her lap, gently tending to his bruises while she sang? He had a picture of it in his mind, vivid, bright, and warm, and for a moment, Dimitri could imagine that it was his mother's hand's and voice comforting him as she had never been able to.

Dimitri opened his eyes again, this time, they had lost the look of blind terror and he saw Maria hold out the last beautiful note and lean down to kiss his forehead. The soft, gentle touch of the kiss on his forehead sent a flare of warmth though him, making him feel truly safe for the first time since he had arrived here.

Dimitri smiled slightly as he felt Maria's hand slid into his. "Thank you...." He murmured softly, something he had been wanting to say to her all day. In a moment, everything Maria had done for him that day played though his head. 'because I don’t want anything bad to happen to my Dimitri.' That was the important one....For once, Dimitri had felt a small sense of worth that he couldn't ever remember feeling before. Since the time he was very young had been Jared's, he was a possession, a toy, and had no worth as anything else. It had been told to him so many times that Dimitri had not only started to believe it, but had believed it fully, and completely, without any doubt that it was the truth. But now, the feeling of Maria there beside him made him think differently. She loved him, and cared about him, she didn't just want him, not like Jared, and for the first time, Dimitri felt like he had value.

The boy breathed a soft sigh and closed his eyes, Maria's hand warm against his. This time, it took him only a few minutes to slip back into sleep. There where still nightmares, and there were still flashbacks, but they weren't so bad anymore. Whenever they would get to the point where they where too bad, Dimitri found he could concentrate on maria's hand wrapped tightly in his own, and it seemed to back down the nightmares.

But more specifically...Can you keep mine?...

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

Maria was partially aware of Dimitri's actions when she calmed him down with the lullaby and was also focusing on her singing as well. She noticed that he had awoken and she saw the fear and terror in his eyes that his nightmare had left him with, and again that feeling of rage growled in the pit of Maria's stomach. To see Dimitri like that just made her feel awful and once again helpless. Just like Arielle, she had intervened only so late in their lives to make a big difference, but it still didn't stop her from wanting to save them still. Yet she still hated that feeling of helplessness as she watched those she loved suffer and not being able to quickly retaliate.

She was glad when Dimitri was calming down, the terror leaving his eyes. It relieved her that much to know that she was able to do that much, to make him calm down. As she was drifting off, finally accepting the fact that her exhaustion was going to take her, she heard Dimitri thank her and she opened her eyes again, smiling warmly. "You're welcome, Dimitri," Maria responded in a gentle whisper before she closed her eyes again and slept.

Maria didn't know how long she had been sleeping, but now she was having her own troubled dreams. But they weren't exactly nightmares but more of a full on assault of all of the thoughts and doubts that she carried around her mind since the trip began. She felt like she was being suffocated, like there was a full on war going on in her mind. There wasn't a lot of tossing and turning on her part, but she knew that she was going to scream out in terror if it kept on going.

Then her dreams changed into a scene almost like a cowboy showdown. She was on one end and Jared was on the other. It seemed so disoriented but her mind saw Dimitri on Jared's side. She growled and shouted at Jared to let Dimitri go. His only reply was a dark laughter as her pointed the barrel of the gun to Dimitri's temple. Her heart sank and she called him a monster, pulling out her own gun and pointing it directly to Jared's heart. Then he challenged her about being able to actually shoot him and she just glared at him, hotly responded that she wasn't afraid. And then the last part of the dream was the worst and it was the part she woke up at.

"You continue to interfere, Maria," came the voice that embodied Jared, "And he'll die because of you." The dream faded with the sound of a gun shot and Maria's terrified and anguished scream.

Her eyes shot awake and she looked over at Dimitri, noticing that he was still sleeping. With her free hand, she felt her forehead and noticed that she had been sweating in fear. She sat up and looked around, noticing that it really was just the two of them still. She kissed Dimitri again and let her hand loose from his as she got out of the bed. Maria didn't like the idea of leaving Dimitri by himself, but she needed some fresh air and she didn't like the idea of puking in Mrs. Emma's bathroom.

She walked to the door and looked back at Dimitri, silently praying that he would be fine when she came back. Whenever that is, she thought to herself with a sigh as she closed Dimitri's door, locking it from the inside just in case Jared tried to sneak in with her being gone. Maria glanced around the house, noticing that it was reasonably quiet and left through the front door, closing it gently behind her.

Maria knew she wasn't wearing any shoes, which she probably should've done, but she actually wanted to feel the earth against her feet. It was still a bit dark out, but she could tell from the coloring of the sky that soon the sun would rise. She smiled as she took a deep breath of the morning air and walked down one trail before eventually running. She would've continued running, but the urge to puke was returning and she didn't want to puke so close to Mrs. Emma's property.

After about fifteen to twenty minutes of being out of Mrs. Emma's home, she stopped running, leaned against a tree, and puked, her body trembling. "I...I really need to stop doing this before I get sick," Maria muttered, coughing up the rest of her vomit out of her system. She stood up straight and looked around her, taking deep breaths to lower down the rate of her heart after all that running. When she finally felt calm enough, she was once again assaulted by her thoughts, but this time she spoke them out loud in Spanish.

"¿Por qué iba a mantener esto de mí?" Maria started as she started pacing, the speed of her words increasing, "¿Por qué ninguno de ellos impide mí este gran secreto? Cualquiera que sea el secreto es .. ¿Es que ninguno de ellos confían en mí? ¿Es eso? Pero ¿cómo iban a ser capaces de no confiar en mí? Y Dimitri ... Dimitri actuando como si se puede ocultar de mí cuando él sabe que puedo recgonize cuando algo pasa."

The more and more she continued, the more and more she felt frustrated, like all of her bottled up emotions from before were coming out, and for good reason too. "No quiero creer que estos pensamientos horribles, pero ... ¿Cómo voy a sentir cuando la persona que dice que me ama abiertamente mintiendo a mí en mi cara?"

Maria felt herself walking, in whatever direction she didn't know, but she felt like she needed to continue to walk away from the house that she felt like was basically suffocating her. She was wondering if she should've asked more questions before she and Dimitri came up here, but she stopped herself because she knew that it was rude to pry. And of course she couldn't ask with Jared being in the house, completely unaware and uncertain of what that man was completely capable of.

"Yo sé que él no tiene más remedio ...," Maria continued, the speed of her speaking slowing down as well as the speed of her walking, "No tengo idea de qué tipo de situación que está en menos el hecho de que él y Jared, obviamente, no se llevan bien, pero aún así ... Yo soy su novia! E incluso si eso se cae a pedazos, yo soy su amigo, y quiero ser capaz de salvarlo de esta horrible pesadilla ...."

She stopped walking there, not even aware of how far she was and also at that moment not really caring. She stared at the sky sadly before she felt her eyes watering up again. Now that she had let out most of her frustration, the rest was only able to escape through tears. The tears weren't only because of that, but also from the dream she had. It had simply terrified her to pieces, that if she continued trying to help Dimitri that she would be the cause of something bad happening to him.

"Estoy ... estoy tan asustada ...," Maria whimpered shamefully as she cried into her hands. The rest of the world was silent around her except for her sobs. I'm so very, very scared...


No quiero creer que estos pensamientos horribles, pero ... ¿Cómo voy a sentir cuando la persona que dice que me ama abiertamente mintiendo a mí en mi cara?=I don't want to believe these horrible thoughts, but... How am I supposed to feel when the person who says they love me is openly lying to me in my face?

Yo sé que él no tiene más remedio ... No tengo idea de qué tipo de situación que está en menos el hecho de que él y Jared, obviamente, no se llevan bien, pero aún así ... Yo soy su novia! E incluso si eso se cae a pedazos, yo soy su amigo, y quiero ser capaz de salvarlo de esta horrible pesadilla ....=I know he has no choice... I have no idea what kind of situation he's in minus the fact that he and Jared obviously don't get along, but still... I'm his girlfriend! And even if that falls apart, I'm his friend, and I want to be able to save him from this horrible nightmare....

Estoy ... estoy tan asustada ...=I'm...I'm so scared...>  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

Some time later, after Mari had left the room, Dimitri stirred. He shifted, squeezing his eyes tighter closed, trying to chase away yet more bed dreams. His fingers clutched at the sheets, relaxing, and then grasping again, missing the feeling of Maria's hand in his. The boy drew a ragged gasp and sat up abruptly, eyes wild with fear. The smell, something about the smell...Dimitri took a deep breath to calm himself, trying to focus. Slowly, he realized that the rich smell of the coffee was coming from Jared's shirt, and he squirmed uncomfortably as his own sweat stuck the fabric to his body. Wearing Jared's clothing felt wrong, there was just no other way to put it. He wanted to take it off, find something else to wear, but he knew that they wouldn't be anything else in the house that would fit him.

Dimitri looked over, realizing that what had roused him in the first place was the absence of Maria's hand in his. He touched the bed thoughtfully, feeling that the sheets where cold, she must have been gone for a while then....Suddenly panic flared in Dimitri's chest. If she wasn't here, then where was she, but more importantly, where was Jared. He didn't trust the man with her, not for a second.

Dimitri bolted to his feet, crossing the room in about four steps and hitting the door. He pulled back, blinking in surprise when the door didn't simply open. Frowning, Dimitri looked down at the lock, seeing that it had been turned into place. He was positive that the door had not only been unlocked, but open before the two of them went to sleep last night. Dimitri breathed a soft sigh. If Maria had had the time, and presence of mind to lock the door behind her before she left, then chances where she wasn't in immediate danger. Or...not yet at least.

Dimitri unlocked the door, swinging it open to come face to face with Jared. Dimitri staggered back, drawing in a ragged breath, fear flashing in his eyes. Jared smirked, looking at him with such an intense greed and desire that it made Dimitri's skin prickle. The man moved forward, reaching out, and then abruptly stopped, hearing Dimitri's mother in the kitchen. Slowly, he lowered his hand, stepping back a pace. Jared did have a measure of restraint, but only when it directly benefited him. Mrs. Emma was moving around, and not particularly busy with anything, and that meant that it would be too much of a risk for Jared to try something just now. He allowed himself a thin smile, indulging in the look of terror on Dimitri's face. The man stepped back out of the room, gesturing that Dimitri's was free to step out.

Dimitri frowned suspiciously, weighing his options. He was faced with one of two choices: Risk going closer to Jared to get out of the room. Or not approach Jared and hang back in the bedroom, this time risking Jared changing his mind and being trapped in the room with him. Dimitri decided instantly that nothing was worth the later risk and, with dry mouth, stepped towards Jared. The boy lowered his head, staring hard at the ground as he stepped slowly through the door way. So far so good. He turned to go down the hall, and suddenly felt Jared grab his elbow, stopping him. Dimitri pulse rate doubled, and his turned, white-faced back to Jared.

The man looked at him with that same hungry greed for a moment, and then it faded to a mocking smile. He reached forward, straightening to collar of Dimitri's shirt, smoothing the wrinkles from the front. "It suits you..." He said quietly, an ominous note in his voice. He reached up to fiddle with the collar again, his fingers brushing against the exposed skin of Dimitri's neck.

The boy swallowed stiffly, the feeling of Jared's skin touching his was more then he could stand. He jerked back, teeth gritted in helpless fear and anger. He turned abruptly, hurrying down the length of the hall to the kitchen. He stepped into the kitchen, hoping to see Maria there, but only saw his mother, making breakfast for the two of them before they left with Jared.

She looked up with a smile, still looking a little tired with strands of black hair escaping from the loose bun that she had pulled her hair into. "Good morning Dimitri," She said, brushing a piece of her hair away from her eyes and tucking it back. She frowned slightly, looking behind him as though half expecting to see Maria as well. "Where's Maria?" She asked curiously.

Dimitri hesitated. "I...uh...I had hoped that she mentioned something to you..." He said slowly. Jared entered the room behind him, standing by Dimitri's right shoulder. The boy forced himself not to look at him, not to pay him the slightest mind. He told himself that Jared wouldn't do anything here in the kitchen with his mother, but he was scared none the less. Years of abuse at Jared's hand had drill that into his mind, if Jared was in the room, he was in danger.

Mrs. Emma looked up, frowning in concern now. "She's not with you?" She asked worriedly, turning her gaze to Dimitri and then to Jared.

The man shook his head. "I hadn't seen her." He said, for once honest. Jared had no idea where Maria was. He almost smiled to himself. 'developing an honest streak are we now?' He asked himself, although he knew it was the farthest from the truth. The only reason Jared hadn't lied as he did about everything else was because lying, in this particular situation, didn't benefit him in the least.

Dimitri shifted uncertainly, looking towards the front doors, noticing that Maria's sneakers where still there. But the house was small, if she where in the house, they would know it. She must be outside. "She probably took a walk..." He said hesitantly, not sure himself weather or not it was true, but he reached a quick decision. "I'm going to go look for her."

"I'll go with you." Jared said, already taking his shoes from beside the door.

"No." Dimitri said abruptly, having already had enough of being close to Jared for the morning. He realized the statement might sound suspicious, so he changed the wording, his voice lowed meekly. "No, I think I'll just go, she can't be far you know, besides, you've got to get ready for work don't you?" Dimitri asked quietly, forcing himself to make eye contact with Jared.

Jared smiled and there was a hint of his customary coldness in his eyes. "I know I do, but I have a few minute to help, like you said, she can't be far."

Dimitri opened his moth, about to protest again when his mother cut in. "Come on Dimitri," She said gently, turning to the two of them. "Let Jared help, after all, he's hardly been able to spend any time with you since you've arrived."

"I know..." Dimitri said quietly and then added in his thoughts, 'that's what I'm afraid of...' The boy swallowed uncertainly, and nodded once. "Alright." He said, and turned, walking out of the house, hopping to get at least a small head start on Jared. 'just don't let him get close enough to touch. Maria could be anywhere, so Jared will have his guard up...maybe I could talk him into going one way while I go the other...doubtful....even so...if he finds Maria instead of me...she could be in trouble...'

Dimitri made it about half way across the yard when Jared caught up to him, taking long strides that Dimitri had to take two steps of his own to make up for. "Trying to loose me?" Jared asked quietly, his voice low, and dangerous. Dimitri didn't answer, lips pressed into a thin line. Jared smirked. "I wouldn't try that again, we wouldn't want anyone to get suspicious..." He warned, giving Dimitri a sidelong glance. He smirked, the boy needed a push in the right direction, and a little bit of a wake up call. "If you're thinking about tell young Ms. Maria about me then I would advise you to carefully think again." Jared said quietly, and he saw the desired effect the moment he mentioned Maria's name. The boy's face was tense and white, yet he still didn't speak. "After all," The man continued, studying his nails carelessly. "People who stick there noses where they don't belong inevitably end up getting hurt. She could...have an accident." Dimitri flinched. "maybe the breaks may unexplainable give out on her car." The boy made a choking sound, his shoulders trembling involuntarily. "Perhaps she may even be assaulted while walking home from school."

That did it. The boy wheeled around face bloodless, tear blurring his vision. "Shut up!" He screamed, far enough away from the house now that he didn't have to be worried about being heard. "Shut up! Don't you dare touch her!" He drew a ragged breath, staring at the man and thinking that he had never hated him so much as he did now.

Jared seemed unfazed by the boy's outburst, in fact, he was smiling, this lack of control on Dimitri's part was what he was relying on to manipulate him. If Dimitri thought with his head instead of with his feeling, he could find loopholes in Jared's threats. But so long as he was worried about his dear girlfriend, Jared had the upper hand. "If you keep our deal, keep your mouth shut, and don't let one thing slip to her, I can promise the girl's safety...if not..." He said, trialling off ominously. The man straightened, letting Dimitri finish the sentence in his mind however he saw fit. "I think..." Jared mused softly. "We'll cover more ground apart, don't you think?" He asked, looking at the trembling boy who was just barely managing to keep his emotions under control. Jared, taking his silence as a yes, turned down one path, leaving Dimitri to follow the other.

Dimitri stood there for a few minutes, until Jared rounded the bend. All his thoughts where crashing around in his head. He remember what he had promised himself last night, that he'd tell Maria if he managed to get out of this. But this...this was too much, Maria may hate him forever for not telling her, but he simply couldn't stand the idea of her getting hurt because of what he told her. Jared had made his intentions perfectly clear, and there was just nothing Dimitri could do about it.

Jared walked slowly down the trail, looking for signs of Maria. Long before he could see her, Jared herd the sobs. He smiled thinly, wondering what could cause such an apparently strong girl to break down and cry like that. He rounded a corner and saw Maria crouched on the ground, face in her hands, shoulder shaking with sobs. The man walked over, making not move to concealed the sounds of his approach. He dropped to one knee next to Maria, placing a hand on her back. "Now now Maria..." He said, his voice soft, and soothing. "No need for all that...tell me what's wrong...Homesick?" Jared asked, and with the gentleness of a worried father, tipped her face up, brushing at her tears with his thumb. He knew the girl was suspicious of him, but he had had years of practice, and knew exactly how to act and exactly what to say.

But more specifically...Can you keep mine?...

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

The young Hispanic teen didn't know for how long she had been crying for. Since she didn't have a watch or her phone on her, she was barely aware of the time. All she was aware of was the tears coming out from her eyes. Maria could barely remember the last time she had even cried so much, but she had never really needed to worry about so much bottled up stress and frustration inside her. But all that changed of course when small pieces, even though there were still many questions left unanswered, of Dimitri's life started to enter Maria's own.

Maria wasn't in tact with reality until she felt a hand on her back. Immediately her crying stopped and was replaced with a sense of fear, as well as a startled scream escaping from her lips. She heard the voice, taking awhile before connecting it to Jared and then she became slightly terrified. Was her nightmare coming true? Was Jared going to hurt her or even Dimitri now?

His voice was soothing and she looked back at him as he tipped her face up to look at him, but she didn't like him touching her. She moved back some and held her hand against her chest, taking a few deep breaths and trying to calm herself down. "Lo siento por el grito, Jared," Maria apologized in Spanish, her mind still not having gone back to English after having a conversation with herself in Spanish, "pero me dio miedo ..."

She let her mind calm down, taking a few more deep breaths before answering his question, switching back to English. "I'm a bit homesick, yes," Maria answered slowly, wondering if he had been there for a long time or had just come, "I'm just.. A little stressed is all. I'm worried about my friends and I didn't really sleep well. I think all of my worries were just suffocating me in my dreams and I couldn't sleep. So I woke up and decided to take a walk... And vomit in the forest because I didn't really want to puke in Mrs. Emma's bathroom. I'd hate to have someone else's bathroom smell like puke in the morning."

Maria had answered as truthfully as she could, knowing that Jared didn't need to know all the details about what was going on in her mind. Now that he was close, her guard was up and she wasn't going to let it drop, no matter what he tried to pull. He may think that she could be easily swayed by his words, but clearly he didn't understand her as well as he assumed. Why is he out here with me anyway?

After awhile, after she had asked herself that question she finally noticed that Dimitri was nowhere near. Her heart sank and then raced again as an army of questions overwhelmed her brain. She looked at Jared and looked away again, taking a few steps forward before glancing back over at the man. "Where is he, Jared?" Maria asked calmly, keeping her emotions under control, "Where is Dimitri? Is he out here? Is he safe? Is he alright?"

She would never had believed that Jared would have cared about searching for her unless Dimitri was out there. Maria was pretty sure that Jared didn't even care much about her, but saw her as a means of crippling Dimitri from telling her the truth. Had she known what had happened, she would've dared him to do all the things he planned.

Instead, her mind returned to its state of panic and she wasn't even sure if she should bolt and look for Dimitri or just wait for Jared to answer. Take every word carefully, Maria, she thought to herself, mentally glaring at him, Don't let this man make a fool out of you!

 

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

Jared pulled back slightly, momentarily startled by the scream. It wasn’t a girl’s usual reaction when he spoke to them. He sighed quietly, realizing just how upset the girl must have been to have not heard him coming; he had made more noise approaching her then a bull elephant. He smiled sympathetically at her. “I didn’t mean to startle you,” He said, in an apologetic tone of his own. He hummed softly, nodding his head in understanding as she explained her reasons for being upset. Of course, Jared believed very little of it. As a seasoned liar himself, Jared could spot a lie a mile away, and this girl, good though she was, simply lacked the years of experience that he had.

Jared raised his eyebrows, slightly surprised as she stepped towards him. The girl’s emotions were well controlled at first and then her question came more quickly as she wanted to know where Dimitri was and weather or not he was safe. Jared held up his hands as though to stop the interrogation. “Maria,” He said to forestall any further questions. Jared looked at her uncertainly, or, so it appeared at least, truthfully, Jared knew exactly what he was doing. The girl looked startled, and wary, like a spooked deer ready to sprint into the forest at any second. “Dimitri’s fine…” He said slowly, making sure that his words where clearly understood. “He took a different path to look for you, though we would cover more ground that way.” The man smiled slightly. “He’s very worried for you.”

Jared cocked his head to the side with a slight frown, scrutinizing the girl thoughtfully. “But…you’re worried about him, aren’t you?” He asked, his tone still gentle, and non accusatory. He ducked his head with a soft bark of laughter. “I knew it…” He said softly, shaking his head slowly. “I knew this would happen…” He paused a moment, not elaborating on his words for a few seconds. Timing, of course, was everything.

He glanced up at her, and sighed again as he took in the expression on his face. “You think I’ve done something to him.” He stated. It wasn’t a question, it was a statement, a fact. Jared tucked his hands in his pockets, his lips pressed into a thin line. "I know Dimitri doesn't like me. I've always know that, his mother knows it too....Dimitri never wanted me to replace his father, a man he hardly remembers." Jared hesitated slightly, his eyes lowered to the ground. "He acts differently around me, and I knew that someone, someday, would assume that I'd done something to make him hate me, But I haven't!" He said fiercely, looking back up at Maria, his words laced with pain. "I love Dimitri, I'd never do anything to hurt him...." The man's voice trailed off and he lowed his gaze again to the ground. "Of course..." He started slowly. "I understand that you would side more with him, after all, he is your boyfriend...but please..." He pleaded softly. "Please know that I've never wanted to be anything but a father to him, something he'll never let me be....I know he wont, but hey, I have to keep trying..." Jared said with a weak smile.

The man sighed, tipping his chin up and looking around. The sun was rising now, casting it's rays though the mist that shrouded the forest. Jared smiled sadly. "Well, it's getting light out, and as I said, Dimitri's worried sick. We should head back up to the house." He turned back to face up the trail he had come from, a small smile touching his lips. 'the ball's in your court now Dimitri, lets see what kind of entertaining story you can come up with to keep this girl busy...'

Dimitri meanwhile had come to a dead end with his path and was facing a flat expanse of briars. 'Maria wouldn't have waded though there just to find a bit of solitude...' Dimitri decided, turning slowly back up the path. He was still shaken by Jared's words, turning them over and over in his mind. 'Would he really hurt Maria?...' He wondered, deciding almost instantly that if he didn't play his cards right, Jared most definitely would. And that brought him to a different question. Where was Maria now, and was Jared with her? If he was, was she in danger, would he hurt her even if he didn't tell her.

Before Dimitri knew it, these thoughts had him running. He sprinted in the direction of the house, knowing that once he got there, he could pick a new path. He had to find Maria before Jared did. The boy slipped on a patch of damp leaves, sprawling forward and landing painfully on his hands and knees. He gasped in pain, but didn't stop, he was up instantly, running again, oblivious of the painful scuffs on the palms of his hands. He brushed distractedly at the gravel that clung to his palms, wincing as he did so. But that wasn't important right now, not at all, the only important thing that existed in Dimitri's mind, was finding Maria.

He burst out of the trees, staggering into the yard, sides heaving, sweat once again sticking his, or rather, Jared's shirt to his back. He looked around, half hoping that Maria had returned to the yard without ether of them seeing. Disappointed when he saw no Maria in sight, Dimitri turned, and stared down the path Jared had taken.

But more specifically...Can you keep mine?...

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

"It's fine, honest," Maria responded with a small, tired smile, "I probably should've been more aware of my surroundings. It's not always helpful when your mind is blocked from the rest of the world, especially when something bad could happen to those unaware." Her last sentence was definitely not meant to have any kind of secret message, but if he took it that way, so be it. Maria wondered just how much of her story that Jared believed in. At that point she was telling him the truth, but she would never go as far as to say that he was involved with them. If she had, she wouldn't know how he would reciprocate, and she knew that with just the two of them out there, anything could happen.

He reacted! Maria mused excitedly in her mind. She was so used to seeing those controlled emotions so far, but only a few steps toward the man mad him surprised. Did he expect that she was going to threaten him or something? Had she had the right amount of information, then maybe she would've, but now wasn't the right time to be making careless threats. When she was completely sure of herself, she would definitely be making her warning threats.

She found herself stopping when he called her name, breathing calmly and looking at him as he answered. She sighed in relief at the idea of Dimitri being fine and of course it would make sense that the two of them would go on separate paths since they, well mainly Dimitri, didn't get along with the other. However, she listened carefully to Jared's words, wondering why he was responding the way that he was. She found herself laughing lightly and nodding to when he said that Dimitri was worried about her. "I don't blame him," Maria said with a distant grin, "Sometimes I worry myself too."

The faint smile faded away as she looked back at Jared, focusing on him again as he was talking. Again her mind was telling her to stay sharp and to not be easily fooled. She wanted to respond that of course she was worried about Dimitri being a good friend as well as his girlfriend, but she kept her mouth shut, knowing that it was rude to interrupt. He's going to tell me something, Maria thought, making sure to keep calm and as emotionless as ever, Whether they be truth or lies, it will be something.

As Jared explained, Maria couldn't help but feel like it was a repeat of what Mrs. Emma had told her last night. She mentally frowned at him, she wasn't that stupid. A boy's entire atmosphere wouldn't change just because he didn't like another person replacing the spot of a dead parent. He honestly must think that I'm that gullible, Maria thought, her emotions still leveled and continued listening to Jared, every word processed in her mind and analyzed deeply.

Maria almost wanted to roll her eyes at the mention of siding with Dimitri because she was dating him. I am not that shallow, she thought, somewhat unamused that he would even bring that up. When he finished, she sighed and looked at the ground, almost as if she was ashamed. As truthful as his words sounded, Maria could barely believe them. Her hand covered her mouth as she contemplated Jared's words as she asked how much should she believe in and how much she shouldn't. He didn't look at me enough, Maria thought absentmindedly, He could be thinking of how to cleverly weave his words together, but still...

Her thought stopped there and she sighed again before realizing something and she almost wanted to start laughing because it made so much sense. He gave me a defensive story because he thought that my questions about Dimitri were accusatory, she thought, her body tingling and she didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, He jumped the gun and told me this story to throw me off! He may think he's so smart but he seems very stupid to me. I admit that he's been clever for the years he's been with this family, but you honestly can't fool me that easily. However..., Maria thought, thinking it would be best to turn the tables and see how he reacted.

She felt like a part of his story was to dare her to ask Dimitri. And if I do that, Dimitri's story will obviously be different and he's going to think that his heartfelt story will make me turn against my boyfriend and side with him. If it wasn't for the fact that my "sixth sense" feels a great disturbance coming from this man, I could just congratulate him on his thinking, she paused in her thought and gently smiled to herself, honestly feeling like she was going to start laughing. This was just too good for her. You're honestly brilliant Jared, but it's time you meet your match.

"I can understand your story, Jared," Maria responded, already feeling like she had been silent enough, her mind processing everything again. "However, I asked my questions because of my nightmare. Yes, it's a bit foolish of me to be worried about Dimitri because of a nightmare, but... It scared me regardless..." I've already gone down this road, so I might as well tell him, Maria thought, wondering just how Jared would take it, although she had a feeling that he wouldn't believe her.

"The dream...," Maria continued, not sure in how to start it and honestly looking confused, "Well, the dream was like a premonition, a warning almost. And... There was this person there and he had Dimitri... Somehow it was like a cowboy showdown, and to be honest I don't know how my mind came up with that stuff. However, what scared me was the fact that I was being warned to stay away or something bad would happen to my Dimitri. So of course this dream plus everything else going on in my mind turned me into a little ball of nerves." Probably more like a ticking time-bomb of nerves, Maria thought with a tired sigh, her fingers gently rubbing her temple.

She looked back at Jared, finding no reason to act right now. If she lied, what good would that do for her? "I apologize if my questions made you think that I was suspicious of you. That honestly wasn't my intention," Maria said gently, "However, you should've never jumped the gun and made assumptions about my reasons for why I asked my questions. I barely even know you and not once have I even pointed a finger about something that you may or may not have done. It's very rude and unladylike."

Plus, I don't have everything I need to prove that you're lying to me yet, Maria thought, somewhat annoyed by this fact. She walked ahead of Jared, not rushing her steps and wondering where in the world Dimitri could be. She didn't know how far the trails were and hoped that he was already back. I wonder just how long I've been out though... I really think I should invest in a watch.

"But that's enough of this for now, Jared," Maria said as she looked back at him, partially implying that they would most likely come across this again with just the two of them, "But like you said, it's about time we head back. We can't keep Mrs. Emma or Dimitri waiting, right?" She turned away from him and kept walking, signalling that they were done with their discussion for now.

After a couple of minutes of walking on the trail in silence, they were nearing the end and she saw Dimitri. She smiled that Jared was at least truthful in that he was fine. "Dimitri!" Maria exclaimed happily, waving at him. Thank God you're safe, Dimitri, she thought, her body completely relieved right then and there.  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

Jared looked back from the trail as she spoke to him, his eyebrows raised slightly as she mentioned a nightmares, before the expression settled into a curious frown. He listened to the dream as she told it to him, soaking in the details, and filling in the blanks in his mind. 'Chances are, this 'he' she's referring to is me...otherwise she wouldn't be telling me. But clever to not incriminate yourself further...'

He smiled sadly as Maria, apparently, apologized. Of course, Maria knew that she didn't owe this man an apology, and Jared knew the apology wasn't genuine, but none the less, he decided to, for once, take it at face value. "Of course..." He said quietly, "I understand, and I apologize myself for, as you put it, jumping the gun," He said with a hint of a smile. "You see, I've been expecting for so long that someone may assume that I was, perhaps, abusive, that I've begun to jump to conclusions. It's definitely a nerve thing."

Jared turned, following her as she walked ahead of him on the trail, taking the subtle hint that their conversation was over. He smirked to himself, 'If you could call it a conversation...more like layers upon layers of lies, half-truths, and watered down suspicions...' Of course, that was how Jared lived, always had, probably always would.

As they walked up the trail in silence, Jared felt himself slipping back into his more normal demeanor. This was who Jared was at the core of who he was, underneath the many many layers of lies, masks, and false personalities. This Jared, was cruel, and calculating. Single minded in the sense that the only thing he could think about was how to get a hold of his victim, in his case, Dimitri. The Jared, was pitiless, and actually, felt no strong emotion whatsoever. Guilt didn't affect this man, in fact, he reviled in the feeling of harming someone, hearing their cries for help, and mercy. This man was interested in something or someone only so long as it continued to be entertaining. Once that thing or person bored Jared, He would silence them using whatever means necessary, and throw them aside. Then, his focus would shift, he'd find someone new almost immediately. Most of the time his 'partners' where either willing, or drunk. Dimitri was the first that wanted no part of what had been done to him, and that's what made the boy so entertaining, the constant fight.

The side of Jared that Maria had seen back in the forest was a personality that he had honed to a perfection over the years. This personality of Jared's was calm, kind, and pulled together. When Jared slipped into the skin, he could sometimes even feel the emotions that he portrayed onto his face, although, only sometimes.

Dimitri meanwhile stood at the top of the path, once again weighing his options. It seemed that he did a lot of that around Jared. Otherwise, Dimitri thought, he jump into a stupid decision feet first, a decision that would most likely end with him getting hurt...again. He took a deep breath. He knew Jared was down this path, but Maria might be as well. 'It's my safety or hers.' Before the thought even had time to finish, Dimitri had made his decision. 'hers...' He started down the path, but had only gotten a few steps down, when he saw a familiar head of russet hair.

The boy let out a gasp of relieve, closing the distance between them. He grabbed Maria tightly in a bear hug, actually picking her feet up off the ground. "Maria! There you are, I was worried about you!" He set her feet back on the ground, still holding her close to him though. He peered anxiously into her face, trying to find any sign in her eyes that Jared had done something to hurt her. When he found nothing the boy breathed a soft laugh, feeling some of the tension leave his body. "Don't do that to me." He said, still chuckling softly.

Jared stepped up beside the two of them, smiling slightly. "I hate to be the one to break this up, but I have to leave for work soon, and if you guys want to change and get something to eat before we go then we need to hurry to the house."

Dimitri looked up, meeting Jared eyes for a moment with a flat expression. He nodded once, and then turned quickly back to Maria. He took her hand, smiling. "Come on, I don't know about you, but I'm starving!"

But more specifically...Can you keep mine?...

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

I wonder what he thinks of the nightmare? Maria asked herself, wondering if he realized that he was also in the nightmare. Maria continued on thinking on what would've happened had it not been Jared in her nightmare but Jonesy or an embodiment of those two men together. Still, she ended up having Jared in her nightmare, and she than began to wonder if that also meant that she was going to have a final "showdown" with him over Dimitri. The things my dreams tell me, Maria thought before becoming aware that Jared was talking again.

She was surprised to find him apologize, but at the same time, she apologized for something that she was honestly not sorry for. But an apology somehow felt like it was "natural" to do in that kind of situation, even though normally she would've been making assumptions and getting to the bottom of things. As always she took in each word that left his mouth carefully into her mind, analyzing every meaning.

Again Maria felt like Jared was subtly dropping hints on what he was or wasn't, and she took that in, using it as whatever evidence she needed. She felt like smirking at the fact that he had been expecting someone to point the finger at him. Yet he hasn't seen Dimitri in who knows how long and not even Mrs. Emma is suspicious, Maria thought, I feel like I'm being invited to a horrible game of death with his words. She could tell that he was once again covering up, trying to seem as innocent as he could be.

Maria only nodded, not knowing what to say, but her thoughts were working like crazy. Most of the time, in Maria's mind, when you claim that you aren't something and believe that people will blame you for it, chances are that you are but no one has proof. The case was definitely different when she was defending Arielle from all the bullies during her Jonesy days. She knew that Arielle wasn't a slut and understood her situation, but then again, it was because Arielle had told her everything. Jared was different, and she had to figure out the truth somehow, which she knew would be a bit impossible with Jared having "wonderful" acting skills to play around with people like they were marionettes, Mrs. Emma being completely clueless and unaware of everything only thinking that it's because Dimitri doesn't want another man taking the place of the father he never really knew, and Dimitri...

Oh Dimitri..., Maria thought with a small frown, still wondering why he hadn't even told her. It was annoying her, now that her mind was a bit cleared after being attacked by her horrible thoughts, that he hadn't even told her. He's terrified of something or about something that involves this man..., Maria thought, feeling like that made the most sense, How he's avoiding it from that one time and his nightmare from last night... He's afraid of something... Is it of Jared or... Is it because of something else?

Maria thoughts ended there once she saw Dimitri and he ran up to her, giving her a bear hug. She laughed happily as he lifted her off the ground, never realizing just how happy she was to see him. "Yes, here I am, Dimitri, the one and only," she responded with so much joy. She was so glad that he was fine. She looked back at him and noticed that he was looking at her with anxiety that she wasn't used to seeing in him before, also becoming aware of just how tense his body seemed.

When all seemed right to him, he relaxed and she smiled, giggling lightly. "I'm sorry Dimitri," Maria said with a gentle kiss on the cheek, "Next time I decide to go out for an early morning walk, I'll make sure to bring you with me. That way you aren't panicking like I've been kidnapped or anything." Part of her wish she did ask Dimitri to come with her before she left, but it was already too late for that now.

Maria almost forgot that Jared was there until he started speaking again. It wasn't like his existence was ignored since he was behind her, but seeing Dimitri again took more of her attention than the man. She knew that he was telling the truth. She also noticed the flat expression in Dimitri's face, wondering just what in the world was going on between the two. Dimitri's attention returned back to her and she smiled as he felt his hand in hers.

"When aren't you starving?" Maria teased with another laugh before nodding, "But we need to go. My stomach is horribly empty after puking." She made a face when she said that, her body now becoming aware of the rumblings from her stomach, "Enough of that grossness. Let's get going~!"  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

Dimitri smiled as she consoled him that she'd bring him with her next time. Frankly, he liked that idea quite a bit, of course, chances where they wouldn't be at his parents house when that happened next. The boy gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I'd like that." He said simply, a smile touching his lips. His smiled flicked into a look of concern as she mentioned having had thrown up, he hoped that she wasn't sick. He wanted to ask her if she was alright, thinking that maybe something was a little bit more wrong then if she where physically ill, or the stress. But Jared was walking beside the two of them, and if there was something more wrong with Maria then just the obvious, then Dimitri didn't want Jared around when thy talked about it. It seemed wrong, invasive, to have him there for a serious conversation. Dimitri tucked the question into the back of his mind, reminding himself that he'd have to ask Maria about it later.

Dimitri nodded his head, smiling slightly. "Okay, let's go." He gave her hand another small squeeze as started back up the path. Dimitri had only come down a short ways, so in no time they where crossing the yard and going up the steps to the house. Jared opened the door, allowing the two teenagers to walking inside before following them into the kitchen.

Mrs. Emma looked up as the three of them entered the house, she smiled at them. They where a bit of a motley crew that stood in her kitchen, Jared, dressed for work in a crisp white dress shirt and black slacks with twigs and leaves stuck in his hair, Maria, in Mrs. Emma's pajamas, her feet dirty, and Dimitri, wearing Jared clothing, wrinkled from sleeping in, too large for him, and with one knee torn open from his fall. She smiled, and then couldn't help a small laugh. "My goodness, you three look like you've been busy this morning." She said, walking over and affectionately began plucking the leaves and twigs from Jared's hair. You certainly can't go to work looking like that" Emma joked lightly.

Jared smiled appreciatively. "Thanks honey," He said with a smirk. Once she had finished plucking the debris out of his hair, Jared walked over to the counter. He pulled a mug out of the cabinet, pouring himself a full mug of coffee. Leaving it unsugared he took a sip, breathing a soft sigh. Dimitri lips tightened slightly, the smell bothering him, but he tried not to let it show on his face.

Mrs. Emma turned back to the two teenagers, smiling warmly at the two of them. "Breakfast is almost ready," She informed them, and then gestured towards the table. "You're clothing's all ready for you if you want to change before breakfast."

Dimitri looked over. seeing two piles of neatly folded clothing on the table. He smiled with relief, seizing the opportunity. Dimitri didn't think he could handle another few minutes in Jared's clothing, every time he remembered who the clothed on his back belonged to, it made his skin crawl, like just having it touch him was an invasion of his privacy. He picked up his pile of clothing, fresh, clean, and still warm from the dryer. The dark haired boy glanced over at Maria, "I'll change in the bathroom, you can use my room if you want." He offered.

"Go ahead," Mrs. Emma said with a smile, freshen up, "Breakfast will be on the table when you get back."

Dimitri nodded once, a smile touching his lips. "Alright, see you in a few." He said, and walked down the hallway. Dimitri stepped into the bathroom, the tiled floor cool underneath his bare feet. Dimitri looked down, realizing that he too had been out in the woods without shoes on. Locking the door behind him, Dimitri hastily stripped off the clothing, leaving it in a heap on the floor, not wanting to touch it even to fold it up or throw it in the laundry. The boy breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a little of the tension seep out of his body. He reached over to the bathtub, pulling out the wash rag and running it under hot water. He wrung it out, scrubbing the wash rag over his entire body to get rid of the feeling, and more particularly, the smell of Jared's clothing. Finally, after several minutes of harsh scrubbing, Dimitri felt like he had finally gotten the smell off of his skin. The raw red skin was a small price to pay for not having to carry the smell around with him.

Slowly, enjoying the feeling of the clean, warm clothing, Dimitri redressed. He breathed a soft sigh, his own clothing feeling familiar, and comfortable. Dimitri ran a quick comb though his messy, snarled hair, and then opened the bathroom door, walking down the hallway to rejoin his mother in the kitchen.

But more specifically...Can you keep mine?...

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

"Then it's a date," Maria said with a smile, gently squeezing his back. She saw his smile and then noticed how it was quickly replaced with concern. She realized that he must've looked like that because she had mentioned about how she was puking earlier. She was expecting for him to ask her, but then remembered that Jared was there, which was probably why Dimitri refrained. She smiled again and leaned her head against him, letting their hands swing. "Don't worry, chico," Maria said to reassure him that she was fine, "Everything's alright. Trust me on that."

Another grin was on her face and she was glad that it didn't take them that long to return back to Dimitri's parents' house. She saw Mrs. Emma and smiled at her, realizing she was looking at them. She wondered how bad they looked and blinked in surprise when Mrs. Emma started laughing. She looked down and saw the darkened brown dirt against her light brown skin and found herself giggling herself, especially when she noticed how worn out she and Dimitri looked, even the twigs sticking out of Jared's hair was a bit hilarious. "I guess you can say that," Maria responded with another light laugh.

While Jared was getting his coffee, Maria smelt the food and her stomach growled horribly. Must you always do that, you silly stomach? Maria thought, placing her free hand on her stomach and making a face. The next few things that Mrs. Emma said was music to her ears and she couldn't help but grin happily. Not only would there be delicious food ready for her, but the clothes she wore yesterday would be clean, warm, and dry.

Maria looked at Dimitri and nodded at his suggestion. She looked at her feet and realized that she should probably clean them off again, but knew her socks and her feet would just get dirty so she just let them be. She grabbed her pile of clothes and watched as Dimitri headed off to the bathroom before looking back at Mrs. Emma with a smile. "Thanks for washing my clothes and letting me borrow your own," Maria thanked before she walked over to Dimitri's room, closing the door behind her.

It didn't take Maria long to change her clothes, attempting her best for her feet to look decently clean. She messed with her hair, trying to decide how she should have it before giving up and just letting it hang down. She folded Mrs. Emma's clothes and looked around Dimitri's room, wondering what it was like for him before he met any of them. What stories do you walls have? Maria thought, walking over to one and placing her hand gently on it, What have you seen that even I can't? She stood there like that, eyes partially closed, almost like she could hear the walls speak to her, before she walked out of Dimitri's room.

By the time she walked out of his bedroom, Dimitri was already walking down the hall and going back to the kitchen. With a playful smirk, she quickly caught up with him and attacked him from behind before laughing. "Hello Dimitri~," Maria giggled before letting go of him and walking in front of him as she walked backwards. "Did I surprise you~?"  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

Dimitri breathed a soft sigh, enjoying the feeling of being in his own clothing. It was amazing the difference of just being in clothing the fit made. Dimitri still held the gray jacket he had worn the other day in his hand, so, with a moment of though, he pulled it on over his arms, the material soft, an comfortable on his arms.

When Maria tackled him from behind, Dimitri's thoughts where instantly pitched into confusion and a terrified panic. 'Not again!' He thought desperately, the past two times Jared had tried to corner him in this hallway flashing though his mind. Jared's hands pushing him against the wall, his eyes staring at him with an animalistic hunger, all of this vividly flashed though the boys brain.

Dimitri spared no efforts, he struggled violently against the arms that restrained him, trying to shake free of his assailant. Then he heard Maria's melodic laughter, and saw he step in front of him, still having not digested his panicked response. He looked up at her, white-faced, breathing hard. The boy straightened to his normal height, blinking as he realized that he was on the verge of tears again. Dimitri didn't cry much usually, but Jared was the one person who the mere sight of brought him close to tears. The thought that it might have been him trying to attack him was nearly more then Dimitri could stand.

He blinked the moisture in his eyes back quickly and tried a weak smile, but his nerves where wearing thin, and his acting was suffering from it. "Yeah...yeah, you could say that..." He said, taking a deep breath. He knew she was going to ask what was wrong with him, what possibly could have roused such a bad reaction out of him. Dimitri knew he couldn't let her, not just yet, his mind was still settling and he didn't have anything but the truth to tell her. 'I want to tell you Maria, I really do...To finally get this off of my chest would be...wonderful...to not have to lie to you anymore...But I can't...I'm so, so sorry...I just can't risk you getting hurt...not by him...or anyone for that matter....'

Dimitri forced the smile to be a bit more genuine looking, hoping it was enough to reach his troubled eyes. Before Maria could ask what exactly had happened, Dimitri took her had in his, pulling her back towards the kitchen. "Come on!" He said excitedly, "Smell's like mom's making bacon."

When they came into the kitchen, they saw that that was exactly the case. Mrs. Emma was just pulling the thick, well cooked strips of bacon from the oven and putting them on a plate. The smell seemed to waft towards them, and Dimitri inhaled deeply. Mrs. Emma set the plate of bacon on the table next to a plate stacked high with pancakes. The table had been set and syrup and butter where also on the table. Jared had already started eating, and was on his second cup of coffee. Mrs. Emma looked up. "Hurry up you two," She called cheerfully. "You want to eat something before you leave right?"

Dimitri smiled and pulled out a chair for himself, and one for Maria. "Look's great mom, as usual." He said, putting a few pancakes on his plate and fixing them up with butter and syrup. He put two strips of the bacon on the side of his plate, not wanting it to touch the syrup.

But more specifically...Can you keep mine?...

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

If there was one thing that Maria wasn't expecting, it was how Dimitri responded to how surprise attack. She thought about how yesterday morning when she did that, he was barely frightened or scared, but this time was different, she just knew it, especially since he never responded so violently against her.

Did he think I was someone else? Or even..., Maria thoughts stopped there as she looked back at him and what seemed like the millionth time, she felt her heart sink at the expression on Dimitri's face. She had never seem him look this scared since his nightmare from last night, but even how he looked now, it killed her to see it. She looked pained, to know that something harmless on her end could terrify him, however knowing that there was more to it. The anger and rage that was hiding in the pit of her stomach growled again, quietly, because she remembered last night when Dimitri was running in the hallways and he seemed distressed. And it was all because of Jared... I'm sure of it, Maria thought angrily, knowing that he wouldn't run like that for no reason.

She still felt horrible that even she was able to scare him like that. When he responded, she didn't smile like she normally would, but she just ruffled his hair. "I'm sorry," she whispered quietly to him, standing back and smiling kindly at him. Inside she was now more determined and she was no longer going to hide off asking him the truth. This house is full of demons, she thought, But I will get rid of them... All of them.

As much as she wished that she could ask, she knew that now wasn't the right time or place. Especially because Jared could come out and try and mess with them both, twist the words and make himself look innocent and Dimitri like some problem child.

Maria was glad when Dimitri distracted himself with the smell of his mom's cooking and grabbed her to go in the kitchen. Her nose was again aware of the smell of the bacon and her stomach growled. "Careful, Dimitri!" Maria giggled, returning back to her usual mood, "We don't want to pull my arm off!"

When they were in the kitchen, Maria's grin widened at the sight of the food. What made her even more excited was the sight of the pancakes. She couldn't remember the last time she had pancakes. "¡Oh, mira toda esta comida maravillosa! ¡Y los panqueques! ¡Panqueques!" Maria breathed with a wide smile on her face, her voice filled with enthusiasm and cheerful giggles. She definitely felt like she could just eat that whole plate of pancakes, even though in reality she would only be able to eat about a quarter of them.

She nodded, knowing that Mrs. Emma didn't have to tell her twice and sat in the chair that Dimitri pulled out for her. "Thank you, Dimitri," she said with a warm grin and a kiss on the cheek before she started filling her own plate up. She put a couple of pancakes on her plate and a couple of strips of bacon. She waited until Dimitri was done with the butter and syrup before she started prepping her own pancakes with butter, cutting them, and then pouring syrup over them.

"Thanks so much for the meal, Mrs. Emma," Maria said with a smile, taking a bite of her pancake and looking like one of the happiest kids on the planet. "I haven't had pancakes in.. I don't even know how long, but it makes me oh so happy to eat them for breakfast again."

She took another two bites before she paused, obviously thinking of something. Of what, no one but the young Hispanic teen would know. "Mrs. Emma," Maria started, her chin resting on top of the back of her hand, "I have this good feeling that my mother would love you. We should keep in touch so you and Jared can come over to dinner sometime. I've been trying to get Dimitri to come, but he still thinks my dad is intimidating. Or he's afraid that my older brothers are going to start picking at him again. They've already started calling your son their future brother in-law."

Maria looked over at Dimitri with a smile, knowing that one of the things she said was true. She could understand why her father still may seem intimidating to Dimitri. She refused that she was a daddy's girl, but at the end of the day, she really was. Plus, with her father being the police chief, that was another reason to find him intimidating. Then her older brothers were huge goofballs, but they loved Dimitri. They've even tried to sabotage a few of their earlier dates just to hang out with him.

"Dinner at my place is just fantastic," Maria continued, "And my mom makes the best food. But it's even better when my grandma is there too. I think she'd love you too. Heck, I think my entire family would love you. We Vázquezes have a good judgement on people. However, I do warn you that you can barely get any privacy in my home. But you can think about it, and maybe, whenever all three of you are free," she paused then to mess with Dimitri's hair again before fixing something on his shirt that was bothering her, "Just let me know and the celebration shall begin. I'm sure my parents would just be happy to meet the parents of Dimitri. They've already said that he was part of the family, whether Dimitri knows that fact or not."

She smiled, a ball of warm energy and she honestly would love for Dimitri and Mrs. Emma to come to dinner. It was honestly true that when there were guests over at her home, no one could barely get any privacy and she made sure that Jared understood that. Let's see you try and pull something in my home, Maria thought wickedly, having a feeling that at that point, she was preparing herself for whatever consequences she was going to receive. No matter what happens to me... I'll make sure to save Dimitri from you, Jared. You disgusting, vile demon.

 

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

Dimitri was glad when Maria didn't question, even if he hadn't given her the opportunity. 'I don't blame you...' He thought sadly as she apologized and ruffled his hair. 'You couldn't have know....you didn't mean any harm...'

As they entered the kitchen and sat down Dimitri found himself smiling as Maria spoke in Spanish again. And though Jared was the only one in the room who fully grasped the Spanish, a few of he words where similar enough to their English counterparts that the dark hair boy could vaguely grasp what she was saying.

Mrs. Emma smiled at the girl's enthusiasm, she truly was a refreshing person to have around. "You're welcome Maria, I always like to make sure that my guests are well fed." The woman found her smile widening as Maria suggested them coming over for dinner. She raised an eyebrow in mild surprise when Maria told her that Dimitri found her father intimidating. Mrs. Emma was unaware of Dimitri's phobia of meeting people's parents, mainly because it liked closely to what people would think of him if they knew what Jared had done to him. Of course, Mrs. Emma didn't know what kind of man Mr. Vázqueze was, and he could easily be the kind of person who was intimidating. But Mrs. Emma knew that people who looked intimidating, usually turned out to be some of the nicest people you would hope to meet.

Dimitri blushed slightly as Maria referred to her brothers already calling him 'brother-in-law.' He wished they wouldn't, not just yet at least, he and Maria had only officially been dating for a month or two now, and marriage was too far in the future to even think about.

Mrs. Emma was beaming. "That sounds wonderful!" She said brightly, momentarily forgetting to clean up from breakfast. "We'll definitely have to do that sometime, Jared's work scheduled is a bit busy, but I'm sure we can find a day that works for everyone."

Jared nodded his head in agreement, but at the same time, was mentally scrutinizing Maria, summing up his opponent. 'No privacy hmm? You're warning me aren't you Ms. Vázqueze? Well...Perhaps I haven't been as secretive as I should have been while you where here, but I'm no fool, I know better then to attempt something in an unfamiliar home.'

Dimitri smiled, finding that he really did like the idea of dinner at Maria's house. Of course, Maria's father did still intimidate him, but so long as there was no physical contact, Dimitri felt like it would be fine. Dimitri knew in his mind that Mr. Vázqueze would never do anything to hurt him, especially in the way Jared had, and neither would Maria's brothers, but it was a gut reaction when ever any guy touched him, even in the most casual sense.

Dimitri stabbed the last mouthful of pancakes on his fork, eating it slowly to enjoy the last morsel. He picked up his dishes, walking over to set them in the sink, Jared had done likewise a few moment earlier. The man glanced at his watch, and then over at his wife. "Well, if you two are done eating, them I'm running sort on time." He kissed Mrs. Emma on the cheek, placing a hand on the small of her back.

Mrs. Emma smiled and turned to kiss him lightly on the lips. "Have a good day at work." She said with a smile, and then turned to Dimitri. She sighed softly. Mrs. Emma had missed her son badly in the past nearly three years, she wished he could stay longer, or visit more often, but he had to leave now, she had accepted that fact. Sighing softly, the woman wrapped her arms around her son, pulling him into a tight hug.

Dimitri embraced his mother tightly, burying his face in her shoulder. And for a moment, Dimitri felt like a little kid again, he hung on tightly for several moments before pulled back, smiling weakly at her. "I call soon," He promised, figuring that that would be the safest way for him to stay in contact with her.

Mrs. Emma nodded with a watery smile, her eyes moist.

Dimitri opened his mouth slightly, a look of remorse flashing across his face. "Mom," He said huskily. "Come on, Don't cry!" Dimitri put a hand on his mother's cheek, bushing a thumb underneath her eyes.

Mrs. Emma took a deep breath. "I know, I know." She swallowed hard and smiling. "I'm going to miss you, don't just drop off of the face of the earth on me again okay?"

Dimitri nodded with a reassuring smile. "I won't, Don't worry about me okay." He kissed her cheek gently and pulled back.

Dimitri's mother composed herself, and turned to Maria. "It was so good to meet you Maria, I do hope that we can come and meet the rest of your family sometime."

But more specifically...Can you keep mine?...

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

"And you're doing such a wonderful job with that, ma'am," Maria responded kindly, continuing to eat her breakfast heartily. She looked up pleased to see that Mrs. Emma was fully on board with the idea of coming over her place for dinner. "Take your time, Mrs. Emma, " Maria said, already imagining the food her mother would make, "There's no rush at all. Take as much time as you need."

She looked over at Dimitri, noticed his blush when she mentioned the "future brother in law" comment and saw his smile. It made her happy just to see that from him, and she was so excited about the thought of Dimitri actually being inside her home. He had always dropped her off at her doorstep, or near it after their dates, but at this point, she knew he didn't need to feel like a stranger to come in. He'll get used to them over time, Maria thought, determined that it'd happen.

Maria finished her food just as Jared was asking them if they were finally ready to go. She was last out of all of them, but it was only because she had spent most of her time rattling on about a family dinner at her place. She got up after Dimitri and settled her empty dishes near the sink.

She turned back and looked as Dimitri was saying goodbye to his mother, that sense of homesickness returning to her when she realized that she wouldn't see her mother until after their camping trip was over, and they were already into their third day. Still, she smiled and realized just how much they missed each other.

"And I'm glad I had the most wonderful pleasure to meet you Mrs. Emma," Maria said politely, walking over to Dimitri and clinging onto his arm, "I honestly hope for the same as well. But for the mean time, I'll keep an eye on Dimitri for you. He'll be safe with me around. I won't let anything bad happen to your son, I promise. And a Vázquez always keep their word. Always." I'll protect him, Mrs. Emma, she thought determinedly, I won't let him get hurt anymore... No matter what it takes.  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

Mrs. Emma smiled at Maria's consolation and was surprised to find that she fully believed the girl. She was strong willed, and determined, and Mrs. Emma had no doubts that if there where anything Maria could do to keep Dimitri safe, she would do it. The woman smiled and nodded her head. "Of course, take care then Maria. We'll definitely keep in contact."

Jared looked over at the two teenagers. "Are we ready then?" He asked, and he saw Dimitri nod. The boy was more then ready to get out of this house, away from these memories, and most importantly, away from Jared. Jared smiled, and nodding in return. "Alright then," I'll see you after work honey." He kissed his wife once more and then turned, walking out the door. Dimitri followed, not too closely behind, Maria at his side. Jared approached a small dark blue car and opened the door to the back seat, frowning. He hummed softly to himself, There were boxes of paperwork and files cluttering the back seat, leaving only one space available in the back. Jared sighed, running his fingers though his hair.

Dimitri spoke before Jared had time to. "Don't worry about moving it, I'll sit up front." He said, his insides churning. Of course, the decision had nothing to do with wanting to be closer to Jared, and everything to do with not wanting Maria anywhere near him. 'It's like a five minute drive... Dimitri told himself, feeling sickened. 'you can handle five minutes next to him.' But Dimitri was so sure he actually could/ None the less, Dimitri circled around to the other side of the car, and opened to door, sliding into the passengers seat. It felt like climbing into a coffin, his coffin.

Jared sat comfortably back in the drivers, seat, adjusting the mirror. Once he saw that Maria was seated, he started the car. Jared glanced at Dimitri out of the corner of his eye, the boy was sitting with his back turned mostly towards him, his chin in his hand, staring hard out the widow as the scenery rolled past. Jared smirked, idly resting a hand on Dimitri's shoulder. He knew the contact wasn't strictly necessary, but it was worth it to watch Dimitri's squirm.

The boy shifted uncomfortably, wishing fervently that Jared wouldn't touch him. 'For FIVE MINUTES!' He screamed in his head. 'Can't you stop for just FIVE MINUTES!!!' Tears pricked in his eyes as his felt Jared's fingers trace slowly down the length of his spine and then back up again. He swallowed stiffly, reminding himself to keep calm. Dimitri took a deep breath, and focused on the scenery outside as they passed it in a blur.

Finally, after the longest five minutes Dimitri felt he had ever endured, Jared pulled the car into the small gravely parking lot in front of a small convenient store. Jared stepped out of the car, looking at the store. It was still early in the morning, so the store wasn't open just yet, but there was movement inside, so it would be in a few minutes. Jared turned and opened the door for Maria in an ironically gentlemanly gesture.

Dimitri wasted no time in getting out of the car either, he felt like the small car was suffocating him, or at least it was doing a good job of trapping him with the person he hated most. He opened the door, stepping out and taking a deep breath of the clean morning air. Hesitantly, he circled around to Maria's side of the car, still wanting to be close to her. It was a protective instinct he knew, even if she wasn't the one who was in the most danger here, he still wanted to protect her.

Jared turned to the two of them with a small smile. "Well, I'd like to wait here with you two until I'm sure you have a ride on the way, but I have to go to work, so I'll be saying goodbye." He looked more specifically at Maria. "Maria, it's been a real pleasure being able to meet you, I hope we can cross paths again in the future." The man said smoothly, with a small nod of his head. He looked over to Dimitri, walking closer to the boy.

Dimitri pinched his lips together, tempted to just break down right there, he couldn't keep this acting up any longer. 'just another thirty seconds and he'll be gone, you can keep it together for that long...' But suddenly Dimitri couldn't as Jared pulled him into a tight hug. A shiver ran though the boys body, every muscle stiffened. Jared shifted slightly so that he cleverly masked Dimitri's pained face from Maria's view. He held on to him for a second, before pulling back, cupping Dimitri's face in his hands. Dimitri stared at the man with open terror, his face less then an inch from Jared's 'so close....' Dimitri thought, numb with fear. 'too close...'

Once again that look of insatiable desire flicked in Jared's eyes,and this time, without Maria to see, he didn't bother to mask it. Taking Dimitri's chin, he tipped his head down slightly, and kissed the boy's forehead firmly, indulging in the fear that radiate though him. After a moment, he pulled back, a mocking smirk on his lips. 'I'll be seeing you again soon...' He mouthed so just Dimitri could see, and then he turned, and strode back to the car. Opening the door, Jared slid in, and without another word drove off.

Dimitri stood there, the fear, and pain, and hurt bare on his features. He felt sick, numb with pain and fear. Another shiver ran though his body, and the boy took a hesitant step. Suddenly, he staggered several paces and came down hard on his knees next to a gutter. Dimitri vomited, his entire body trembling. Slowly the boy sank into a sitting position, staring down at the water that rushed thought the gutter, already washing away signs of his momentary sickness. His skin felt cold and clammy, and he was sure that he was pale as death. A droplet of sweat dripped from his forehead into the muddy water. He took a deep breath, feeling weak, and utterly wasted. Maria was going to want a really good explanation for this one.

But more specifically...Can you keep mine?...